When your YouTube account has been hacked, what to do next? This post on MiniTool will tell you a detailed guide and how to prevent it from being hacked.
What Does It Mean to Be Hacked on YouTube
As we go online more and more, our online security also faces greater threats. There’s no exception for YouTube. Especially if you’re a YouTube creator, it’s important to keep your YouTube account secure. The usefulness of a YouTube account with a high subscriber count mainly comes from monetization and viewership.
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However, sometimes your YouTube account may be hacked by someone malicious. What will happen if your YouTube account has been hacked? Once a YouTube account hacked, it means that your account can be accessed by someone other than you or someone you do not authorize to access your account. Your YouTube account can be controlled by hackers and they may sell it to someone or keep it for ad revenue.
So, how to check if your YouTube account has been hacked? In other words, what are the signs of a YouTube account being hacked? Being unable to log into your account is the clearest sign of a hacked YouTube account. Besides, apart from not being able to log in to YouTube, there may be other changes to your YouTube account, such as changes to the YouTube channel description, profile picture, YouTube handles, and other details.
What to Do If You Own a Hacked YouTube Account
Now, you may ask: what to do if my YouTube account is hacked? How to fix a hacked YouTube account? You’re in the right place. When your YouTube account has been hacked, you may encounter two situations.
When You Can Still Log in to Your YouTube Account
The first situation is you can still log in to your YouTube account. If so, you can take two approaches, including changing the account password and logging out of all devices. Check below.
Change account password
Step 1. Go to Google Chrome and log in to your Google account.
Step 2. Click your Google profile picture at the top right corner and tap on Manage your Google Account.
Step 3. Click on Security and tap Signing in to Google.
Step 4. Select Password and enter your new password. It’s best to use a unique and strong password.
Log out of devices
Step 1. Visit Google Chrome in a web browser and log in to your Google account.
Step 2. Tap on the Google profile icon and click Manage your Google Account.
Step 3. Click on Security on the next screen and go to Your devices.
Step 4. Under Your devices, you can see devices that your Google account is logged in to. Then, remove any device that’s not yours.
When You Can’t Log in to Your YouTube Account
The second situation is you can’t log in to your YouTube account anymore. There’s not much else you can do other than go through the YouTube account recovery process.
You will be asked to answer as many relevant questions as possible to verify that you are the account owner to help you get your account back. So, be sure to answer the questions correctly. If all goes right, you can reset your password so that the account can be restored to you.
How to Prevent YouTube Account from Being Hacked
Restoring a hacked YouTube account has certain risks, it is best to prevent your YouTube account from being hacked. There are methods you can take to protect your account and reduce the chances of being hacked.
- Use a secure browser. One example of choosing a safe browser is Google Chrome.
- Create a complex and strong password. Eight or more characters are recommended for passwords. The password should also be unique, meaning every site should use a different password.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links in comments.
- Monitor your authorized devices and third-party applications frequently.
- Update your account recovery options.
- ……
Conclusion
It’s not uncommon to have a hacked YouTube account. Therefore, you must do everything possible to prevent your YouTube account from being hacked. Even if your YouTube account has been hacked, you should catch the signs early so you can take timely action.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Lydia is always interested in new things and has been attracted deeply by writing. Her love for writing makes her become an English editor about multimedia in MiniTool. She’s determined to write articles about photos, audio, video, and other news to offer readers useful suggestions. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, photography, and having fun with friends.